


Lady Pole's First Morning at Starecross

by AlexSimon



Category: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell & Related Fandoms, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (TV), Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Genre: Gen, Hair Brushing, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-05-01 04:39:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5192681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexSimon/pseuds/AlexSimon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is Lady Pole's first morning at her new home and John Segundus helps her get ready for the day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lady Pole's First Morning at Starecross

It had been become apparent a bit too late that a maid for Lady Pole should have been procured prior to her arrival. 

It was her first morning at Starecross and the problem was rather obvious at the very first, when John Segundus stood outside her room wondering if it was proper to enter and see her in her sleeping gown.

He reached for the door handle a few times but could not bring himself to turn it fully, so he called and then gave a small knock. He creaked the door open a small increment and peaked into the room, calling her name again. Mr Segundus put only his head inside the room at first and found that her eyes were open. 

For a young woman receiving so much rest, Lady Pole looked very tired, but not all at embarrassed by Mr Segundus’ presence in her room.

“Good morning, Lady Pole,” he said cheerfully, very much relieved to have the first part of his task done. 

Lady Pole sat up in the bed without speaking, blinking her eyes as if the small bit of freshly risen sun coming in from where the curtain didn’t quite meet the window was hurting her eyes. Mr Segundus noticed and did not open the curtains further, but instead chatted about the day ahead as he walked to the wardrobe.

The small problem seemed much larger as he opened the wardrobe to help choose a dress for Lady Pole to wear. The choosing would be easy, but he would have get the dress from its place in the wardrobe onto her body; a much more daunting task. There were many buttons to consider on each and he had only just thought, as he turned to ask her opinion on what she would wear, of hair. Lady Pole had such very long hair and no one to dress it. 

“What do you think, Lady Pole,” he asked. "Which of your dresses will you wear today?“

"I am tired,” she said in response. She gave a shake of her head as if to remove something from her vision. 

“You have so many nice things to choose from!” 

He held out the sleeve of a blue dress that looked warm enough for the day to her to see if it would catch her attention. It did not. 

“Well, if you have no preference, I think this one will do.” Mr Segundus pulled the blue dress from the wardrobe.

Lady Pole’s clothes having been decided on, Mr Segundus brought the dress to the bed, where Lady Pole still sat. He set it beside her, now entirely unsure of procedure. He looked between the woman and the dress, trying to cover a frown that he worried might be vexing for the lady. 

“Excuse me, Lady Pole. I am not sure…What shall I do to help you?”

Lady Pole gave an enormous sigh, so large that Mr Segundus was surprised her lungs held so much air. 

“If you leave, I can undress-”

Mr Segundus coughed and looked at the ceiling

“And when I am ready, I will call for you.”

“Ah. Yes. Of course.” 

He waited outside the door pacing and chastising himself for many imagined acts of ungentlemanly behavior until he heard a small voice from inside the room call his name.  


When he entered the room again, Lady Pole was sitting on the bed in the same spot she had been in before, but now wearing a very pretty dress whose hem was touching the top of her foot. 

This particular dress had some buttons in the back, a few of which the wearer had fastened by, Mr Segundus assumed, by reaching behind her. Three more were undone where the dress hung open. Lady pole did not seem to notice the exposed triangle of skin at her back and had indeed pushed all her hair over one shoulder to make the buttons easier to reach.

“I shall need assistance, please, Mr Segundus.”

Mr Segundus walked to the bed, He approached the buttons of his charge’s dress with much more trepidation that he had the door to her room earlier and fastened them as though they would burn his fingers. He was then very happy to once again be in the same room as a fully clothed woman. 

She lifted her large quantity of dark hair and dropped it behind her so that it fell down her back. Mr Segundus’ next task was ahead of him.

“Are you agreeable to- That is, what I mean to ask…”

John Segundus knotted his hands together.There was nothing but to say it so he did it as fast as he could. 

“Can you please tell me what I shall do with your hair!”

“Oh. Yes.” 

Judging by her tone, one would be forgiven for assuming that Lady Pole had just remembered she had hair at all. 

“Yes?” asked Mr Segundus.

“I have a brush…”

She motioned to the table next to her bed where a hairbrush sat. 

Mr Segundus picked it up, nodding at the brush as though to make it more friendly toward him. He stood by the bed and and after a small bit of encouragement to himself, approached Lady Pole’s hair, holding the brush at arm’s length. He took a few tentative runs though a portion of the hair and found that Lady Pole did not protest. Mr Segundus exhaled and continued to brush until Lady Pole’s hair was neat. 

Feeling very proud of how nice his young charge looked now and how well things had gone, John Segundus smiled and hoped for a very good day indeed.


End file.
